Find a Way
by monotony
Summary: Umbrella's top assassin Project Alice has just been given her next assignment.  Her target: Claire Redfield.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **So instead of updating my ongoing stories I wrote this. It's something I started writing months ago and over the last week I found enough inspiration to finish it. I guess this story is sort of AU; Alice, Claire, and Umbrella are all here but no zombies.

**A/N2:** This will be a two-shot and the second part will be up sometime tomorrow night. I hope you enjoy it, and feel free to review.

**Disclaimer: Resident Evil is not mine.**

**Summary: **Umbrella's top assassin Project Alice has just been given her next assignment. Her target: Claire Redfield.

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><p>Albert Wesker, chairman of the Umbrella Corporation, sat at his desk idly flipping through the file in front of him. It was one he had looked at dozens of times, he knew every word on each page, every photograph was ingrained in his memory but it was useless. His eyes narrowed in frustration and now he barely glanced at the pages as he considered the predicament. Wesker shoved the papers back into the envelope marked 'classified' and sat back in his chair though his body was still rigid, unable to relax.<p>

The file contained every known piece of information about the Umbrella Corporation's top fugitive, and next to it on his desk sat a heavy stack of reports on every failed mission to apprehend said fugitive. Wesker had sent all of his top men and many had not returned alive. The ones who did had never been able to track down their target long enough to eliminate her before she managed to disappear again. And now Wesker was left with only two options. There was only one person he knew that could track down and eliminate this rebel effectively, but it could potentially be a huge risk that would cost the Corporation its number one assassin and Wesker was hesitant to take such a risk. However, if successful his assassin would have passed the biggest test of all and become Umbrella's greatest achievement.

It was with that final thought in mind that Albert Wesker made his decision. He reopened the envelope and removed several pages from the file, placing them in his desk drawer before sealing the envelope again "Send in Project Alice." He spoke into the intercom and not a minute later the door opened and in stepped a woman with messy blonde hair. She had hard green eyes that blinked only when absolutely necessary and a tight jaw clenched shut. The woman strode confidently into the room, not at all phased by the menacing presence seated behind the desk. Project Alice stood at ease in front of the figure hidden in the shadows of the poorly lit room and waited patiently for instructions. "Project Alice, the Umbrella Corporation is in need of your services once again. You are our best assassin and only the best can be counted upon for this assignment."

"What is the target?" she spoke without emotion, staring straight ahead.

Smirking at the coldness she displayed, Wesker slid a file across the desk. "Claire Redfield. 30 years old, originally from Nevada. Brother Chris Redfield is a member of S.T.A.R.S. He will be dealt with another time, your priority is her. She is a fugitive of the Umbrella Corporation and is extremely dangerous, but since you are the best I expect nothing but results."

"Yes sir."

"You will track her down and eliminate her. No interrogation, no bringing her in alive. Understood?" He spoke calmly yet firm, there was to be no misunderstanding. "You will leave tomorrow."

"Yes sir." Project Alice nodded, her eyes briefly flashing the Umbrella Corporation logo before taking the file from the desk and leaving the office.

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><p>Green eyes shot open as Alice awoke in the same bed she had slept in regularly for the last five years. Her services for the Umbrella Corporation often required a lot of travelling but this small, white, windowless room was the only home she had ever known. It never bothered her that she couldn't remember being a child, or growing up, or knowing what her parents looked like. As far as she was concerned, Dr. Isaacs was the closest thing she had to family and even then she didn't feel very emotionally attached to the man. He was just the first person she saw when she awoke for the first time in this bed, his voice reassuring that everything was alright, that she was exactly where she was meant to be. And though it had taken a little time to adjust, she had come to believe it was true. Alice couldn't imagine ever being anywhere else or doing anything but to serve the needs of the Umbrella Corporation. But sometimes, like on the nights like this where she awoke in the middle of the night, she had doubts...<p>

She peeled off the white sheet, swinging her legs over the side as she sat up on the edge of the bed. _Red_. It was the first word that popped into her mind when she woke up. She'd been dreaming about something red. A bright, vibrant red she had never encountered in all her years with Umbrella and their white walls. Alice had this dream often, sometimes there would be a dash of soft blue, but the red was a constant. She had no idea what her subconscious fascination with the colour meant and she'd stopped telling Dr. Isaacs about the dreams after the first time when he put her on such a strong sedative that she slept for three days straight. But that didn't stop the dreams from coming back and Alice spent many nights searching her mind for that vibrant red and elusive blue.

Alice reached to the table beside the bed and flicked on the lamp. Next to it rested the file she'd received earlier. Her superior skills already had the pages memorized but her curiosity was drawn to the photograph included of her target, Claire Redfield. It was an obviously old photograph given the woman's happy expression, but what really drew Alice's attention was her target's red hair. It was almost exactly the same colour as in her dream but the assassin dismissed it. She'd never seen this woman up until receiving the file a few hours ago, and she'd been having this dream for as long as she could remember so the two couldn't possibly be related.

Alice tossed the picture back onto the table and stretched out her legs. Pushing herself off the bed Alice paced the room anxiously. She hadn't been given an assignment in months and was itching to get back to work. Again she thought of Claire Redfield, the blonde knew that when Wesker said the woman was a 'fugitive' what he really meant was rebel. Alice had killed many rebels trying to undermine the great work of the Umbrella Corporation and had no qualms about eliminating these people for the greater good. But this Claire Redfield must be especially destructive to the Corporation for Wesker to order a direct termination. One of the more annoying facets of Alice's job was making her work look like an accident so she was certainly going to enjoy disposing of Claire Redfield in whatever manner she wanted. Grinning at the possibilities, Alice climbed back into bed and stared at the ceiling. This assignment was going to be fun.

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><p>It took Alice three weeks to locate the fugitive Claire Redfield. She finally was able to track down the missing woman hiding out in Seattle, far away from any of Umbrella's main facilities. The woman was good Alice could freely admit, but she was better. Project Alice had been watching the redhead for days, completely undetected. The trouble was that she could never catch the fugitive alone. A single unexplained dead body was one thing but if Alice left a trail of bodies Chairman Wesker would not be pleased. So she watched with annoyance as Claire Redfield took public transit everywhere and constantly met up with contacts in public places. What the meetings were about Alice never bothered to learn, it wasn't part of the assignment. She'd been instructed to eliminate Claire Redfield and that was all.<p>

She stood beneath the cover of a large tree on the far side of a park and watched with disinterest as her target spoke to a tall man with dark hair, whose eyes darted nervously around the park as if he knew they were being watched. Alice was beginning to enjoy this game of cat and mouse she was playing with the redhead, but only because it was obvious who would win. Project Alice was Umbrella's most prized possession; a killing machine. The redhead could run but Alice would always find her.

Alice watched with boredom as the man and her target ended their conversation and went their separate ways. She waited in the seclusion the branches of her tree offered until the redhead left the park, it was always more fun when her targets had a head start. Soon enough she began making slow, deliberate steps across the bright green grass, passing several small children playing on swings and in sand boxes making her way out of the park. She followed the redhead at a reasonable distance, her target always took a different route home everyday but on this particular day Alice would make sure Claire Redfield would not reach her destination.

The redhead entered a department store and after several minutes Alice casually made her way inside as well. The store wasn't very crowded and Claire was easy to spot, walking among the aisles. Alice was starting to get bored when her target did something she didn't expect. She watched as Claire looked around anxiously before pushing open a door marked 'No Entry.'

She followed the redhead, her curiosity peaked. The doorway led to a hall with numerous doors on both sides but Alice ignored them all, her gaze fixed on the end of the hallway, to the door labelled 'Access to Roof.' For some reason she just knew this is where the redhead had gone, and smirked at finally getting the redhead alone.

Alice stepped out onto the roof, not caring about being seen or making noise. She knew this was it, the moment she'd been waiting for. Claire Redfield was about to be terminated. Project Alice had a one hundred percent success rate, the redhead would not stand a chance.

As the assassin walked further out onto the roof and looked around she did not spot her target. Her brow furrowed as her eyes narrowed. And that's when she heard it. The familiar sound of the safety being taken off a gun. It was usually the last sound her targets heard as they raised their own weapons to shoot her only to find out she had already acted and they were dead before their arms raised up to aim their weapons.

Project Alice smirked as she heard the sound, and the smile turned into a crooked grin when the sound of a bullet did not immediately follow. She had underestimated the redhead and her target had gotten the jump on her, but the other woman was obviously weak and failed to act, a failure that would cost her, of this Alice was certain.

"Put up your hands, slowly." Alice heard her target instruct, and only out of shear amusement did she comply. She would let the fugitive believe she had control of the situation and then she would kill her and the redhead would never see it coming. And then Alice would return to base and await her next assignment. Alice brought her hands out to the sides, raising them until they were just above her shoulders before turning around slowly, bringing her face to face with the fugitive Claire Redfield.

The blonde was a little taken aback at what she saw. This was the first time she'd seen the woman up close and the first thought that floated through her mind was that the photograph she'd been given did not do Claire Redfield justice. She was beautiful in ways Alice knew her own features could not compete. The assassin was drawn especially to the red hair carelessly falling past the woman's shoulders and she watched as the tresses moved slightly with the breeze. The colour was so familiar that Alice wanted to get closer to investigate. But almost as quickly as these thoughts came Alice shoved them aside. She had a job to do, she was going to complete what all others had failed to do. Claire Redfield was going to die today, end of story.

Alice watched the redhead stare at her. It was a look the assassin was not familiar with. Most of her targets usually looked at her with abject fear and desperation, but Claire Redfield looked hurt, and almost... sad? Alice did not understand.

Despite the emotions covering her face, the redhead held her gun steady and pointed directly at the blonde. "Tell me your name." She demanded.

Alice did not answer, her orders were not to engage the fugitive in interrogation, strictly elimination.

Claire's gaze immediately hardened. "Tell me your name or I will shoot you."

Alice was not threatened and she knew that one bullet or even several would not be enough to kill her, but there was something about the redhead that confused her. This woman obviously knew she was enough of a threat to lead her up here and pull a gun on her, yet she wasn't afraid. And so for the first time in her memory, Alice disobeyed the direct orders of the Umbrella Corporation.

"I am Project 3174-B86." That was her official title, all her files used that serial number in place of a name. Project Alice had been the nickname Dr. Isaacs had given her, though she had no idea where the 'Alice' part had come from.

"No! Tell me your real name! Not the label they slapped on your file." The redhead stared at Alice long and hard but the assassin could see the sadness starting to slip back onto the other woman's face and the look alone was enough to make Alice want to give her a more satisfactory answer.

"Others call me Project Alice."

Her response seemed to appease the redhead, though she still kept the gun firmly pointed at the blonde assassin. "How long have you worked for the Umbrella Corporation?"

Alice didn't understand the point of these questions. "I have completed 57 missions." She answered honestly, seeing no point in lying when her target would soon be dead anyway.

"Why have you been following me for the last three days?"

It had actually been five days. "You are a fugitive of the Umbrella Corporation and I have been ordered to eliminate you." This is the point where she expected to see fear in the redhead but Claire did not look surprised at her answer.

"Is that all? They don't give you a reason?"

"I am not privileged to the decision making behind these orders. I merely complete the assigned mission."

"Why haven't you completed this one? I know who you are Alice, I know of your value to Umbrella as their top assassin. But you've been following me for days, probably even longer, with only the order to kill and yet you haven't finished the job."

Alice glared at her target. "I could have killed you the moment I turned around."

"I know, but you didn't." Alice then watched as the redhead lowered her gun, motioning for the blonde to lower her hands as well. "And I don't think you will kill me."

Alice scoffed. "You're certain about that?"

Claire shook her head. "No, but I hope you will hear me out before deciding."

"If you want to bribe me into sparing your life it will not work."

"I don't care if you kill me Alice. That's why I haven't tried to run from you when I knew I was being watched and followed. I just want to talk, I want you to know why they sent you to kill me. You may not care about the reason but I do. It's the only thing I've cared about the last five years."

Never in any of her previous missions had Alice asked or wanted to know the reason behind her services, why all the people she had killed had needed to die. But this Claire Redfield was so adamant that she know what the redhead had done to incur the wrath of the Umbrella Corporation that Alice could not help but be intrigued. The woman's desperation tugged at something deep within her, a vague emotion she couldn't identify. And for the second time that day she disobeyed orders. Nodding curtly, she agreed to the deal. "Speak."

Claire took a shaky breath. "I broke into Umbrella's facility in Atlanta looking for information."

"Who do you work for?" Interrogation may not have been part of the assignment but there couldn't be any harm in finding out who the redhead was working for, it would certainly aid in the Umbrella Corporation's search for more rebels. And Alice had already broken so many rules by not killing the redhead right away, breaking a few more wouldn't matter.

"I don't work for anyone, this was personal. That corporation took everything from me, so I vowed that if it was the last thing I did I was going to take something from them." The conviction in her voice stood clear and a mask of anger clouded her face.

The assassin stared at the fugitive in confusion. "That's it? That's what you wanted me to know so badly? You stole some information from them?"

"I stole information from them about _you_." Claire emphasized. "You are the company's most valuable possession. You are the perfect killer, you've killed dictators and rebel leaders, anyone who looked to stand in Umbrella's way. I stole every file on you they have and I've gone over it hundreds of times trying to find a weakness, trying to find a way to shut down 'Project Alice.' I never found one, you apparently have no weakness. You're stronger, faster and more impervious than any other human on this earth." Claire's gaze never wavered from the killer before her and Alice was surprised to feel some level of comfort at being referred to as a human, none of the scientists or her superiors ever thought of her that way. Just a killing machine to be perfected and exploited. "But you know what's interesting about those files?" Claire's voice drew Alice's attention back to her story. "There's nothing in them about you before you became 'Project Alice.' Do you know what your life was like before they turned you into this?"

This time Alice did not answer the redhead's question. She didn't have any memories of the time before she was Project Alice, and sometimes she believed that she had probably never even existed before the Umbrella Corporation had made her into what she is today.

Claire took the blonde's silence as the answer to her question. "You don't remember because they've planted a chip in your brain. They control your memories, and if you ever fail to follow their orders they can also use it to control you."

"Whatever they have done is in the best interest of the Umbrella Corporation." Alice recited. It was a mantra she had learned long ago.

Claire quickly became furious. "So I guess ruining lives is in the best interest of the Umbrella Corporation? Killing people? Taking everything from them? What they are doing is not for the greater good, it's for power. And that company will stop at nothing to get as much power as possible!" The redhead then hung her head and took a few deep breaths. "I know none of this is your fault Alice. What they did to you is impossible for you to resist and from what I've learned is also impossible to be undone." She dropped her gun to the ground and looked at Alice again with the hurt and sadness the assassin had seen when they first came face to face. Only now Alice could also see how exhausted the other woman looked, like she hadn't slept in years and was too tired to carry on.

For the first time in the blonde's memory Alice was having trouble piecing together what was going on. "So is this you giving up? You lured me up here to let me kill you? Because you couldn't find a way to kill me first?"

"I was never trying to kill you Alice." Claire explained, and her next sentence was voiced so low that if not for blonde's beyond perfect hearing she would never have caught it. "I was trying to get you back."

"Get me back?"

"They took you from me, and by doing that they took everything."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Resident Evil is not mine.**

**A/N: **OK, so this took a little longer than expected to update, but here it is. I hope it lives up to your expectations and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!

**A/N2: **Flashback will appear in _italics!_

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><p>Alice stared at the woman she was suppose to be killing in confusion. "What do you mean they took me from you?" For the first time in her given memory, Alice felt conflicting emotions. She should have killed Claire Redfield by now but the redhead apparently knew things about Alice she didn't. "You knew me from before?"<p>

"Yes," Claire answered in little more than a whisper, her tone sounding completely defeated.

"You know how I became Project Alice?"

"Yes."

"Tell me." The assassin stared at her target long and hard, daring the woman not to answer.

Claire's brow furrowed, obviously this was not how she had expected their encounter to go. Alice was even surprised at herself, for all she knew the redhead was lying but something inside her told the blonde that she needed to find out everything Claire Redfield knew about her.

"You and I were both part of a small group working to bring down the Umbrella Corporation," the redhead began slowly. "You were stationed undercover as a security operative at a facility known as the Hive. It's a biological research centre and you were trying to uncover the nature of the experiments their scientists were working on."

"What about you? What was your role?"

"I've been a known rebel for a long time so I couldn't work undercover. My job was as head of intelligence. Our spies reported to me on information they gathered from working for or tailing high ranking members of the Corporation."

Alice waited patiently for the redhead to continue the story but could tell the other woman was hesitating and holding something back.

"I was caught, wasn't I?" The blonde stated casually, to her it was the only logical explanation.

"Yes, one of our people was discovered and sold the rest of us out to save his own life."

"It is not the policy of the Umbrella Corporation to grant mercy to rebels."

"They didn't. You killed him. It was your first assignment as 'Project Alice.'"

The blonde scanned her mind and could easily recall the mission. "He had been easy to kill."

"Good," Claire spat and even to Alice the harshness sounded foreign coming from her lips.

"Tell me more." Alice demanded, now fully understanding why Chairman Wesker had been adamant she not engage her target in interrogation. It didn't matter though, Project Alice never failed to complete a mission. No matter what story she told, Claire Redfield would not be leaving this rooftop alive.

"There's nothing else to tell; you got captured and they used you to create Project Alice, the world's greatest killing machine." Claire shrugged, avoiding eye contact and blonde almost laughed at the rebel's attempt to deceive her.

"You're lying." Cold green eyes hardened as she took a step closer to her target. "You said they took everything from you. What does that mean? Did I kill all your little rebel friends?"

This time Claire didn't speak and Alice felt her patience dwindling. Before the redhead could blink, Alice was directly in front of her, one hand ensnaring her neck in a tight grip. "You aren't telling me something." The blonde seethed through clenched teeth, her grip tightening but still Claire did not attempt to speak, did not even flinch at how easily the blonde could kill her.

They stared into each other's eyes and the rebel's blue orbs reminded Alice of the elusive colour in her dreams. The sky coloured pools almost drowned her and she felt as if she were falling into the abyss. This time, Alice pleaded; "Tell me."

A movement broke Alice from her trance and she tore her eyes away to watch the redhead reach into a pocket, pulling out a folded sheet. She released the woman's neck when the paper was offered to her but didn't unfold it right away. Claire didn't meet her eyes again, but stared downward and her voice came out shaky through barely parted lips. "They took from me the person I loved more than anything in this world."

When Claire didn't speak again Alice slowly unfolded the paper. It was well worn, the frayed edges indicating the numerous times the redhead had viewed it. When she pulled open the last fold Alice was in disbelief at what she saw. The paper was a photograph of her and Claire. The picture had obviously been taken without their knowledge as neither of them were looking at the camera. It showed Alice with her arms wrapped around the redhead's waist while Claire's encircled her neck, their foreheads touching as they looked deeply into each other's eyes. In the bottom right hand corner of the picture was a number Alice easily recognized. It was her serial number. "Where did you get this?"

"From your file, the one I stole from the facility I broke into."

So Umbrella had known about them. Chairman Wesker had known she and Claire Redfield had been... involved and he still sent her to kill a woman she had obviously at one point held strong feelings for judging by the joy and serenity present in the photograph that Alice could never recall feeling. She continued to stare at the picture and with each passing second finding it more difficult not to hate herself. Alice knew she was a monster, when all you did was kill people it was impossible to be considered anything else. It was a fact about herself she had accepted after her first couple of missions. But the picture in her hands showed her a woman she didn't know, one who had resisted while she had become complacent.

Looking up, the blonde found her target staring at her as silent tears streamed down her face. Alice felt the need to comfort her but didn't know how. "Is Alice my real name?" She asked instead, desperate to keep the redhead talking.

Claire nodded. "Alice Abernathy." It still sounded unfamiliar to the blonde.

"And you and I, we were..." not knowing how to finish Alice waved the photograph slightly, hoping to indicate her silent question.

The redhead laughed aloud at the gesture, though Alice could not fathom what she found so amusing. "Sorry," Claire apologized for no reason. "You were always terrible at saying it, I guess some things really never change." She wiped away her own tears. "Yes, to answer your question. We were in love."

Alice looked down at the picture in her hands again before staring back into pools of blue. "Was I..." she shook her head, trying to force her words out. "Was I good to you?"

She immediately felt silly for asking and cursed her voice for sounding so weak. She didn't even know what compelled her to ask, she just needed to hear that she had done at least one decent thing in her life. Even if she couldn't remember it.

Claire gazed back at her intently, eyes searching the blonde's and then she smiled genuinely. "The best." The redhead hesitantly reached out and when Alice didn't stop her Claire picked up one of the hands that had ended so many lives. "You were the best thing to ever happen to me. No one will ever love me as much or as well as you did." Her sincerity broke something within Alice and the blonde found herself struggling to breath. "I tried looking for you after you were captured" Claire continued, " but Umbrella had you hidden away. And then, when I found out what they had done, how they had changed you..." Alice could see the redhead was desperately trying to fight back more tears. "They sent people after me too, I killed a lot of them actually. It's kind of sick but I knew that if I was able to run long enough eventually they'd have no choice but to send you to finish the job."

"I can't kill you." Alice stated, almost not believing the words leaving her own mouth but knowing they were true.

"I know." Claire gave the hand she was still holding a tight squeeze.

"I'm sorry your Alice is gone."

Claire shook her head and smiled sadly. "I use to think she was gone but not anymore. If she was gone forever I'd be dead right now. She's inside you somewhere, I'm sure of it."

Alice didn't share the redhead's confidence. She couldn't remember her life with the redhead but the longer she spent with Claire the more she wanted to give her back everything she had lost. "I wouldn't even know where to begin looking for her."

"I do." Claire replied and again searched the green eyes before her as she took a tentative step forward letting a hand travel slowly up the blonde's arm. She paused when it reached face level but ever so gently let her finger tips dance along the assassin's cheek, across her jaw line and over her lips.

Alice stood frozen, a million doubts flashing through her mind. More than anything she wanted to remember but what if she never did? She wanted to be like that woman in the photograph, but what if she never could?

And it was almost as if the redhead could read her thoughts. "Relax Alice." Claire whispered. "This right here is already so much more than I ever thought I would get." She let her hand fall away and was about to replace it with her lips when she stopped. And for the first time that day the blonde saw fear in the redhead. "Alice, your eyes!"

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><p>Albert Wesker watched the monitor with intense displeasure. He'd been tracking Alice since she left the facility and had been watching the satellite images of her encounter with Claire Redfield on the roof. Wesker waited and waited but Project Alice did not take down her target. He didn't need audio to know what the redhead was telling his prized possession and his suspicions were confirmed when Redfield revealed that photograph. It was identical to one he had removed from the fugitive's file before giving it to his assassin.<p>

Wesker had known sending Project Alice on this mission had been a risk, but he'd felt confident in the work his scientists had done on the former rebel. Alice had never disobeyed any order and killed countless people without ever needing an explanation. Not once had there been a flaw or error in her performance. Not until today. One thing was certain though; if Claire Redfield wasn't dead in minutes, Wesker would make sure Dr. Isaacs would be. Failure would not be tolerated, not from his assassin and not from her maker. The chairman of the Umbrella Corporation still had one card left to play and turned his attention to a second monitor. On the screen he pulled up the program for Project Alice, typing instructions that should allow the chip in her brain to over power her mental faculties. He had hoped his project would complete the mission on her own, but if not he could still force her to kill the other woman.

_Program Activated_ flashed across the screen and Wesker's smug grin took over his face as he watched the two women on the roof, waiting eagerly for results.

* * *

><p>Alice's eyes flashed the Umbrella Corporation logo and Claire stumbled backwards. The blonde tilted her head left, then right, her neck cracking at each movement. Rolling her shoulders, Alice blinked as if she had just woken up. Her eyes quickly landed on the redhead and an evil smirk marred her flawless features.<p>

"Identifying target Claire Redfield." She droned automatically, taking slow deliberate steps forward to match the ones Claire was frantically taking to back away.

The redhead stopped when she reached the edge of the roof. "Alice," she pleaded. "Come on, I know you're still in there. Fight it off. I know you can resist it."

"There is no resisting the Umbrella Corporation." She said calmly, closing the distance between herself and her target.

"Then I offer you a challenge," Claire blurted, not looking sure of herself at all. Nevertheless, she took a step towards the blonde and with a final look of determination fixed her eyes to the cold green ones of the woman who would end her life at any moment. "I dare you to resist me." Claire then grabbed Alice by the collar, pulling her into a kiss. She moved her hands to cup the blonde's face firmly as she kissed the assassin with everything that she had.

Project Alice's first instinct was to push the woman away, her second was to reach up and snap her neck. But then she felt _it._ What _it_ was she didn't understand but it was spreading from the contact of their connected lips, through the redhead's hands on her face, and the feeling swept through her until she could feel it everywhere. Warmth, comfort, peacefulness. Things she'd never experienced before felt familiar and washed over Alice as she allowed the person she was suppose to be killing continue kissing her. Body relaxing of its own accord, Alice gave into her third instinct and let her arms wrap around Claire's waist. She tugged the woman closer until they were pressed together tightly.

Things came to a head when she found herself kissing Claire back. A shiver ran up her spine, her body humming in approval at how right it felt to be kissing the redhead. As the kiss deepened, the blonde's arms tightened, now having no intention of ever letting the other woman go.

"_Do you think we'll ever win? Or are we just kidding ourselves trying to take on Umbrella?" Claire asked softly, the uncertainty on her face hidden in the darkness of their motel room as the two women laid in bed._

_Alice had to strain to hear her, even though they were facing each other. Despite the late hour, the sound of cars constantly moving outside the window created too much noise pollution for the blonde to fully enjoy their post love making peacefulness. "I don't think doing what's right can ever be considered a waste of time. So even if we don't win, I can at least die knowing we tried."_

"_I don't want to think about you dying. I can't even imagine what I would do without you." The redhead's anxiousness shone through even though she was whispering._

"_You'll never have to find out, cause I'm not going anywhere." Alice reassured before smirking. "Well, I'll be going in a couple of hours so Spence doesn't realize I'm gone."_

"_I can't believe you have to pretend to be married to that asshole." Claire muttered bitterly._

"_I don't really have to pretend too often, only if someone comes over to the house, otherwise I stay far away from him. But your jealousy is adorable."_

"_Jealous? I don't think so. I just feel sorry for you for having to spend so much time with that jerk_."

"_Mmhmm." Alice nodded, not believing_ _her girlfriend for a second. She didn't push it though, knowing it would only make Claire feel guilty about their own relationship. Sneaking around had quickly lost its glamour but had been essential for Alice to work undercover. Claire was already a known rebel against Umbrella and any connection between them would blow the whistle on the blonde's true allegiance. So the pair were forced to meet under the cover of darkness every few weeks, always at a different location. _

"_I don't want to talk about him anymore." Alice said. "I didn't come all this way just to think about someone I am already unwillingly forced to interact with everyday."_

"_That's right, you came all this way to get your hands all over this." Claire teased, gesturing to her body hidden beneath the sheet._

"_Dams straight." Alice replied, simultaneously rolling on top of the redhead. Straddling the woman beneath her, hands on either side of Claire's face Alice stared down at the woman she loved and her face turned serious. "I only care about you and it doesn't matter to me if we have to meet like this. I'd do anything to see you and give up everything to be with you. You're it for me Claire, and just know that if you ever find yourself without me, all you have to do it wait. Because no matter what, I will always find a way back to you."_

"_I love you." Claire whispered as she tugged Alice's head down, crashing their lips together._

That was the last time they had seen each other before the blonde had been captured. Alice remembered it with extreme clarity. Suddenly she both felt and heard something in her head crack. The pain of it caused her grip on Claire to loosen and she stumbled backwards, breaking their embrace. The redhead watched with panic as Alice clutched at her head in agony. Memories began flooding her mind in such quick secession that Alice dropped to her knees, feeling disoriented and overwhelmed.

The whole thing took less than a minute but it felt like hours before the ache in her head subsided. Panting heavily, her hands dropped to the ground, struggling to find purchase on the rooftop. Eyes clenched tightly shut as she tried to process everything and it was only when she felt the intense gaze of the redhead on her that Alice opened her own eyes and looked up.

"Alice?" Claire spoke hesitantly, not knowing which version of the blonde she was addressing.

Alice slowly pulled herself back to her feet, and only once she was at eye level with the redhead did she speak. "Claire." The blonde whispered in relief. "Claire I'm so sorry. I couldn't stop myself. It was like someone else was controlling my body. I–" she then noticed the way Claire was staring at her. "What is it?"

Blue eyes never wavered from green as Claire quickly erased the space between them. She searched Alice's eyes for the third time that day and smiled when she finally found what she was looking for. "You remember me?"

"I remember everything." Alice replied before she was engulfed in the tightest hug of her life and for the first time in years she cried. She cried for the monster she had become, the people she had killed, and for what she had nearly done to the woman she loved. The redhead held her through it all, whispering words of comfort and reassurance.

"It's alright Alice. It's over now, I've got you." The words fell from her mouth like a mantra, desperate for the blonde to believe them.

"I'm sorry Claire." Alice apologized for the thousandth time, pulling back slightly so she could look the woman in the eyes. "I'm sorry it took so long for me to get back to you."

Claire smiled. "Don't be. I always knew you'd find a way."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Some people requested more, and I am here to provide. I had not planned to add another chapter but I managed to write one anyway. I think this story will end up being around five chapters, that means there are still two updates to go.

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><p>"No!" Wesker shouted, his fist slamming against the hard surface of his desk. The satellite feed he'd been watching cut out and not a moment later the words 'Program Failure' flashed across the second monitor. He pushed both screens off his desk in a fit of rage, watching them smash as they hit the floor but not feeling any satisfaction.<p>

The program had failed.

Project Alice had failed.

He'd lost Project Alice.

Wesker's fist were so tightly clenched that if not for the leather covering his hands his nails would have surely dug deep craters into his palms. Sitting up impossibly straight in his chair, Wesker allowed himself exactly two seconds to regain his composure and pushed his rage aside for the moment. This was the absolute worse case scenario. Alice had not only defected from the program but was now with one of the corporation's top fugitives. He'd known it was a gamble to send the assassin after Redfield but the Project Alice program was supposed to be flawless. He'd been _told_ it was flawless.

Allowing his earlier anger to cloud his mind, Albert Wesker hit the intercom button on his desk phone. "Bring me Dr. Isaacs." He growled.

Dr. Isaacs was one of the corporation's brightest minds, but also one of the most arrogant. Isaacs had boasted to the chairman that the program was flawless, that the former rebel Alice Abernathy had been completely replaced by the perfect killing machine. And Project Alice had proved to be unwaveringly loyal since her very first mission. Not once in the last five years had there been even one visible flaw in her performance, but ten minutes on a rooftop with Claire Redfield had erased it all.

There was a firm knock on the door before Dr. Isaacs appeared in the office. "Chairman Wesker, what can I do for you?" Dr. Isaacs always spoke with an air of arrogance, his conceited attitude spiking Wesker's rage even more.

Wesker wanted to shoot the man on sight but controlled himself for the time being. "Project Alice has failed." He stated.

The doctor was taken aback. "That is not possible, she was made into the perfect killing machine."

"A killing machine that disobeyed orders and somehow managed to disable the control chip." Wesker took in the horrified look on Isaacs' face. "That's right. The most efficient assassin in the world is no longer under our control."

"She can be captured–"

Wesker cut him off with a low growl. "I sent her out because every assassin that was assigned Claire Redfield never returned. Now we have two highly skilled fugitives on the run and one of them has enhanced strength and speed. Not to mention her advanced mental abilities. Any attempts to apprehend them at this time would be foolish."

Dr. Isaacs' brow furrowed. "I don't understand, are you just letting them go?"

"No, Alice will come here on her own."

"How can you be sure?"

The chairman ignored the question and turned to face the window, his gaze looking down at all the ignorant, unknowing people walking the streets below. He would have his project back one way or another and he would be patient. He was certain Alice would return, all he had to do was wait.

Dr. Isaacs cleared his throat. "Very well, I will go begin work on a new control chip for when she is apprehended."

"No." Wesker turned back to the doctor. "The Umbrella Corporation will no longer be requiring your services."

The scientist barked out in laughter. "You can't be serious? You need me!"

"How can the Umbrella Corporation be in need of someone who has provided it with failure?" Wesker asked with a bored intonation.

"I can reverse the work done to Alice." Dr. Isaacs argued. "Without me you have the most dangerous human being on earth coming for revenge and have no way to control her."

The chairman did not even pause to consider Dr. Isaacs' words before repeating. "The Umbrella Corporation will no longer be requiring your services."

"I'm the reason Project Alice exists and you're firing me?" The scientist shouted, his previous cockiness replaced by outrage.

Wesker smirked as he pulled a gun from inside his jacket. "Who said anything about firing?"

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><p>"So what happens now?" The former assassin asked, as they remained standing on the rooftop.<p>

Claire stared directly into familiar green eyes. "Honestly? I don't even care as long as it's with you."

Alice blushed for the first time in years, but tried to keep her face serious. "Umbrella is going to send people after us. They're probably already tracking me."

"I know." Claire sighed. "Wesker is going to want his _project_ back."

Thoughts raced through Alice's mind, possible scenarios mapping out before her. "Maybe..." she looked at the redhead hesitantly. "Maybe I should go back."

"What? Alice, there is no fucking way I'm letting you go anywhere near those people again if I can help it."

"You'll never be safe as long as you're with me!" Alice lamented harsher than intended. The redhead took half a step back and Alice's tone immediately softened. "But I can end this Claire. I could go back, take out Wesker, and–"

"And what?" Claire challenged. "The Umbrella Corporation is a monster, cut off one of its heads and another will just grow in its place. Killing Wesker won't solve the bigger issue. Umbrella is the most powerful entity in the word. We tried taking it out from the inside and that didn't work. I don't think there is anything we can do except to keep ourselves off the radar."

"So what are you saying? We should just run? Spend the rest of our lives running and hiding and never knowing how long we will be safe?"

"That's already how my life is," Claire replied steadily.

"Well I don't want us to live that way."

"Are we really doing this?" Claire asked in disbelief. "Fighting? We're separated for five years and less than two minutes back together we do this?" The redhead looked to be on the verge of tears again and Alice couldn't stand it.

She wrapped Claire in her arms again, rubbing her back gently. "No, you're right. I'm sorry." She whispered, voice filled with regret for more than their argument. "We shouldn't be fighting each other."

"I'm tired of fighting Alice. It's all I've done for so long. I don't think I can do it anymore. If you need to kill Wesker, I know there's nothing I can do to stop you, but I can't bear the idea of sending you back in there. Cause if they catch you, I know I won't get this lucky again."

"I just want this whole thing with Umbrella to be over."

"I do too." Claire squeezed the blonde tightly. "But I don't think it ever will be."

Alice pulled the redhead closer, leaning their foreheads together. "There has to be a way," she whispered.

Claire pulled out of their embrace but kept their hands firmly clasped together. "We shouldn't stay here. They probably already have a team on the way. We need to find someplace safe." She made a move to walk away but Alice pulled her back. The redhead gave her a questioning look.

"I love you." Alice said, not breaking their gaze. "Things are going to be crazy as soon as we leave here and I just wanted you to know." She had spoken on impulse but one look at the redhead gave Alice all the reassurance she needed.

Claire grinned at the blonde. "I love you too. I never stopped." She pulled Alice in for an all too quick kiss before leading them back across the rooftop.

The pair made their way back down to street level and began walking, not really having a destination in mind. It was only after fifteen minutes that Alice began to feel tense. Her training in addition to her superior senses had made her an expert at picking up inconsistencies in her surroundings. "We're being followed." She told the redhead quietly.

"Already? I thought we would have more time." Claire prepared herself to run but Alice pulled her off the street into a side alley.

The blonde pushed her behind a dumpster. "Stay here." Alice instructed before disappearing from sight. Alice back tracked and waited in the shadows of a doorway. Umbrella had given her the patience of Job but she didn't have to lurk in the darkness for long before she heard heavy footsteps dragging against the pavement. The shuffling grew louder, indicating the person was getting closer. The former project waited until the figure of a man moved passed her, deeper into the alley and getting closer to Claire. It was only too easy to sneak up behind him. Alice quickly forced him against the wall, his hands pinned behind his back. He was taller than the blonde and struggled against her grip but Alice's enhanced strength was too much for him to over come.

"Claire." Alice called and the redhead appeared from her hiding place. "Search him." She instructed while she continued to hold her struggling captive.

The redhead patted him down and reached into his jacket, pulling a gun from his pocket. Claire clicked the safety off and pointed the weapon at the man's head. "You have five seconds to tell us who you are and why you were following us."

"I work for the Umbrella Corporation." He said.

"Liar," Alice spat. "Umbrella's agents aren't stupid enough to follow us as closely as you were. Tell us the truth or I will let her shoot you with your own gun." In addition to her words Claire pressed the gun firmly against the back of his head.

"My name is Matt Addison." He gasped.

Alice flipped him around so the man was facing them but kept him pinned to the wall. "Why are you following us Matt Addison?"

"I had to see for myself if it was true."

"If what is true?"

"Project Alice failed to complete an assignment."

"I am getting tired of asking questions Addison. Explain yourself or I will show you just how effective 'Project Alice' can be." She threatened. The longer she and Claire interrogated him, the closer real agents of the Umbrella Corporation were getting. They didn't have time to waste.

"We've been watching you for years. I know how many people you've killed, innocent people." He glared down at her but Alice could still see the curiosity in his eyes. "You were suppose to kill Claire Redfield today. But you didn't. You disobeyed a direct order from the Umbrella Corporation and broke one of their satellites."

"Broke a satellite?" Claire questioned.

"Umbrella uses them for spying." Alice explained, not taking her eyes off her captive. "Wesker probably saw everything that happened on the roof. You were watching too?" She addressed Matt.

He nodded. "Yes, until the feed cut off."

"How could I have been responsible for that?"

"That's what I came to find out. Someone at the Umbrella Corporation facility in Raccoon City activated your control mechanism and not two minutes later the entire system connected to your program has crashed."

Alice looked at him curiously. "Who do you work for?"

"I don't work for anyone." He switched his gaze to Claire. "You're not the only one who's tried to take down the Umbrella Corporation. I've been trying to get in touch with you for months, but you're very good at staying off the grid."

Claire lowered her gun a little now that he was no longer a threat. "I've had a lot of practise."

Taking her cue from the redhead Alice released Matt but kept her stance rigid, not ready to trust the man who had been following them.

Matt eyed the blonde warily. "You aren't what I was expecting Project Alice." He said, only to regret it a moment later.

In less than a second Alice had the man slammed back into the wall. "Don't ever call me that again." She warned, staring daggers at him. She only, reluctantly released him after Claire put a comforting hand on her arm.

"Project Alice is gone." Claire explained. "Alice was able to resist the programming. I saw it with my own eyes. That's probably what caused the system to crash."

"We should go," Alice said abruptly. She didn't want to talk about her work with Umbrella and was growing anxious about the time they had wasted.

"What should we do with him?" Claire asked.

"Knock him out, I don't want him being able to tell anyone which direction we went."

"Wait! I can help!" Matt held up his hands in defence. "The place where our group meets, it's safe. You can come up with a plan and maybe we can help each other out."

"What makes you think we can trust you?" Alice challenged. Her hard green eyes challenging him to give her the wrong answer.

"Because you know I'm not with Umbrella." He said calmly.

"That isn't enough for me." Alice retorted. She felt the redhead tugging insistently on her arm and allowed herself to be dragged a few feet away from the man, though she kept him in her sight as she spoke to Claire. "We can't trust him." The blonde whispered. She wasn't about to just follow someone claiming to be on their side. Not after one of their own had betrayed them before.

"I know, but we don't have a lot of options right now." Claire implored.

"_I_ can keep us safe!" Alice stated with finality.

"I know you can." Claire cupped the blonde's cheeks and waited until green eyes met blue. "That's why I know that even if we go with him we'll be alright. Alice," Claire's voice was barely above a whisper. "You don't have to trust him, you just have to trust me. I think we should check this out."

"It could be a trap." Even as she said it, Alice knew her resolve was wavering.

"Maybe," Claire admitted. "Or maybe it's exactly what we need."

Alice stared at the redhead for a long time before nodding once. She took Claire's hand in her own and hardened her gaze as she spoke to Matt. "Lead the way."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **After an extremely long break, I am back with an update! I am very sorry that it took so long, but I guess its true when they say better late than never. Hopefully the next update won't be so long a wait.

**A/N2:** I want to thank everyone who sent messages pushing me to update. It means a lot to know that people care about this story and it really did help push me to get out of my funk and get back to writing.

**A/N3: **Thanks for reading, and leave me a review so I know how you feel about this chapter.

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><p>The couple forced Matt to walk several feet ahead of them and they ended up at a small rundown apartment complex only a few blocks away from the department store where they had been reunited.<p>

"This explains how he was able to find us so quickly." Claire surmised as the man unlocked the main door and they followed him inside.

Their destination was on the second floor, apartment 7. The small hallway smelled of dirty carpet and cats. The low ceiling and fading pink walls created a very tacky retro vibe.

Alice didn't feel comfortable at all. "This is where you guys meet?" She questioned, feeling more and more like they had made a mistake in coming here.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Would an old abandoned warehouse have been less conspicuous?" Matt sarcastically replied. "Most of the apartments here change occupants every few months. It's easier to hide with so many different people coming in and out of the building all the time."

Matt slowly unlocked the apartment door. But the door only opened half an inch before it stopped, the chain lock on the inside preventing it from moving any further. Matt huffed and banged loudly on the metal door.

"Kaplan! Open the door!" He hissed.

A pale face appeared in the crack but Alice was more focussed on the gun peaking out halfway down. "You fool. How could you bring her here? Are you trying to get us killed?" The former assassin could tell the man was more panicked than angry, his fear was evident in his wide eyes and the sweat dripping from his brow.

"Let us in and I'll explain." Matt coaxed but Kaplan shook his head furiously.

"No way." He denied and Alice heard the safety on his gun click. She automatically sprung into action. Her pupils dilated and the chain locking the door broke. The force of the heavy door swinging open pushed the man back, his body flying into the wall and he slumped to the floor. The blonde was instantly in front of him, kicking the gun from his hand before he could even raise his arm. Her arm was raised to attack but a voice drew her attention away from the man.

"Alice!" Claire's scared voice reached the blonde and her eyes returned to normal. The redhead clutched at her arm and eased it back down to Alice's side. The redhead waited a moment for Alice to gather herself and for her own panic to subside before she spoke again. "What was that?"

Matt quickly entered the room, closing the door and locking it behind him. "What the hell? You said Project Alice was gone."

"She is, otherwise he would be dead, and so would you." Alice squeezed her eyes shut, trying to calm herself from the adrenaline rush her body had just exerted. She breathed deeply but only really relaxed when Claire's soothing hand began rubbing her back comfortingly.

"It's okay Alice." Claire reassured her.

"The hell it's okay." The dark haired man from the floor groaned as he stood up. Matt tried to help him to his feet but was shoved aside. "What the hell is wrong with you Addison?" He stared at Alice and Claire. "I told you not to go out there and not only do you not listen but you come back with Umbrella's top fugitive and their most elite assassin!" He was shaking uncontrollably.

"Kaplan calm down. She's not going to kill us."

"Did you not just see what happened with the door?" He swung his arms widely, trying to illustrate his point.

"You had a gun." Alice interrupted. "I'm sorry, it just...happened. I wasn't even thinking about it, just reacted."

Kaplan stared at her like she was some sort of animal in the zoo. Some new species he had never seen before. "How is this possible?" He shook his head, trying to wrap his mind around the impossibility of what was happening. He pointed at the redhead. "You should be dead. Why are you not dead?"

"Alice stopped herself." Claire answered, looking proudly at the blonde. "We don't know how but she freed herself from the program. How do you even know about any of this?" She turned the questions back on him. "This was barely an hour ago."

"He knows everything Claire." Alice spoke. "Don't you?" She stared at Kaplan with interest, a half smile forming as something in her mind tweaked in recognition. "Chad Kaplan, despite your previous statement Claire is not the Umbrella Corporation's most wanted. You are."

"You've read my file?" He surmised.

"Yes. As you can probably understand, it's one of the few that only exists in paper copy. And as dangerous as you might think I am, even my file is not as classified as yours."

"Uh, can someone please fill me in." Claire requested, looking between her three companions for clarification.

"I use to work for the Umbrella Corporation." Kaplan confessed. "I was part of the team that designed and programmed their computer system. Intelligence, security, you name it and I had a hand in creating it. I was second only to Dr. Ashford who was our project leader, and even though it was a massive undertaking only five people were hired to work on it. We had to fill out dozens of non-disclosure agreements. I thought I was selling my life away, but the money was more than I would make working in five years."

"So what happened?" The redhead inquired. "What did you do to piss them off."

"The stuff we were doing, it was intense. The Corporation wasn't nearly as powerful back then but those in charge knew where they wanted it to go. It didn't make sense to me why they needed all the information they wanted on file. The records they kept on every single employee was unbelievable. Tax records, report cards from middle school, parking tickets! At first I shrugged it off as them just being overly thorough but then we started working on the surveillance system. It was like Umbrella was Big Brother but on acid. But by then it was too late to back out. I knew they wouldn't let me quit or get away so I finished the job. However, I left myself a back door into the system." He motioned for the others to follow them and led them into what would have been the living room had not the space been consumed by wires, monitors, hard drives, stacks upon stacks of files. Every available surface was cluttered.

Kaplan sat down at the table with the most monitors on it; Alice was able to make out six or seven hard drives under the table. "This is how I've managed to elude Umbrella for so long. I created a virtual blind spot to their surveillance system." He brought the centre most screen to life but Alice couldn't make sense of the lines of code she was seeing.

"Through the back door, I've been able to piggy back on their database." He continued to explain. "The only flaw to Ashford's design is that all their information is connected. It doesn't matter if they're hiring a new intern or selecting Project Alice's next target; every time something is entered into the system I know about it. At first I was only watching the system to see what they needed such a secure system for but then I saw what they were actually doing." He visibly shuddered at the memories. "Bribing government officials, kidnapping people in the middle of the night, executing anyone who stood against them.." Alice's chest tightened with guilt. "...so I manufactured my own virus and tried to shut it down."

"But it didn't work."

Kaplan's eyes narrowed. "Obviously not," he grumbled. "But I still had the back door into the system that not even Ashford was able to find. So I was always one step ahead when they were looking for me." He leaned back in the chair as he told the two women his story. "I've been on the run for about eight years. At first I thought a major city would be safest but that turned out to be the opposite. New York, LA, Chicago, Umbrella has their hand dipped in their municipal governments, their law enforcement, everything. I couldn't stay in any place for long. I was hiding out in Mexico for about four years, and I probably would have stayed there, but things changed about nine months ago."

"What happened?" Claire asked.

"That idiot over there." Kaplan motioned to Matt, who had been standing off to the side as the other man told his story. "I was watching the system one day and noticed someone else was trying to hack in. It was easy for me to trace, especially with Umbrella's resources at my fingertips."

"It was my sister Lisa and I." Matt stated. "She worked at one of Umbrella's facilities, the Hive."

"We know all about the Hive." Alice spoke, though she avoided eye contact with everyone in the room.

"Then you know what they were up to down there." Matt continued. "Lisa didn't like it, she confided in me and I did a little investigating on my own. I used to work in law enforcement," he explained. "But I couldn't come up with much so she decided to try and hack the system to try and find out more. Unfortunately, Kaplan wasn't the only one who was able to trace the break in back to her." Matt trailed off.

"They killed her." Alice stated when he failed to continue.

His lack of response was all the confirmation Claire needed. "So how did the two of you end up working together?"

"I guess it was my idea." Kaplan responded when Matt still remained silent. "Umbrella keeps a list of all dangerous individuals.."

"Unofficially of course," Alice added sarcastically, but Claire's hand around her elbow quickly silenced the blonde.

"Of course." Kaplan agreed and leaned forward in his chair. After several minutes of silent typing he pushed away from the computer so the two women could see what was on the screen. "This is the list, as you can see our three names are at the top. Matt appears further down. I have an alert set, so I know right away when the list is updated and when a hit has been sent out on a particular target. Every time the corporation sent Alice on a mission her name would be added, as if they expected that one of these times she wouldn't come back. About an hour ago, your name went straight to number one." He continued to scroll through the list of fifty or so names, but only Claire was actually looking at it.

"I would have thought there would be more," the redhead commented.

Alice shifted uncomfortably. "There is, this is just the priority list. And of course, people who have been disposed of, are removed and any connections they had to the corporation are buried to keep curious officers like Matt here off the trail."

"How many of them did you 'dispose' of?" Matt finally spoke up from the corner.

"I don't think that's important right now," Claire said, feeling the blonde tense slightly under the loose grip she still had on her arm.

"Well it's important to me!" Matt fumed, staring daggers at the former assassin.

"I didn't kill your sister." Alice stated. "And you're the reason I'm here remember? You came to us, we didn't go looking for you."

Kaplan, smartly decided to return to telling his story. "Anyway, once Lisa and Matt were put on the list, I knew what would happen to them if I didn't do something. It was around this time that I figured out Seattle would be the best place to hide if I ever returned to the States. By the time I got to Raccoon City it was too late for her, but I managed to track down Matt before Umbrella agents. It took some persuading to convince him I was on his side, but eventually we agreed to team up and we've been out here ever since."

"What do you guys do out here? Besides avoiding capture."

"We do the same thing Umbrella does, track down as many rebels we can. Only instead of killing them we enlist them or help them relocate off the grid to keep them safe."

"We have people working undercover all over the country." Matt added.

"How many?" Alice asked.

"Dozens." Kaplan answered.

Claire frowned. "Doesn't Umbrella notice that so many people on their list are eluding capture?"

"Yes. They know exactly what we're doing."

"So why don't they take the list off their database?"

"They're trying to flush Kaplan out." Alice spoke, her mind tweaking as she figured it out. "The list is bait. They're just waiting for him to slip up. They must not know how he's piggybacking the system or managing to elude detection or they would already have him." She turned to the man in question. "When you track someone down, you have to set up some means of contacting them right?"

"Yeah. That's my job." Matt said.

"Some of the people on this list are probably decoys."

Kaplan nodded in agreement. "Yes, I've thought of that." He reached under the table and pulled out a paper box. Opening the lid revealed dozens of file folders. "We do a lot of background checking. These files are for people I'm pretty sure Umbrella put on the list as decoys. The corporation only makes up enough records to cover the last five years. These are the people I couldn't dig any further back."

"We also have a team who run surveillance before we initiate contact with these fugitives." Matt added.

"Interesting," Alice drawled. She was quickly growing bored of the conversation, a trait she had developed as Project Alice. She crossed the room to the window and peered between two blinds down to the street below. It had become dark outside and even though she knew it wasn't safe she was itching to leave the apartment. All this talk of Umbrella only served to remind her of how much she had done for the corporation. And while those thoughts should be horrifying she could feel herself thirsting for violence instead. She didn't know how much longer she could keep herself in check.

Behind Alice, Matt scowled while Claire frowned in concern at the blonde's behaviour.

"It's been a long day." Kaplan jumped in, changing the subject. You two are welcome to stay here."

"Thanks," Claire said gratefully. "It will just be a day or two," she looked at Alice. "Just until we figure out what we want to do."

"Take all the time you need." Kaplan reassured. "This is about as safe as it gets from Umbrella."

"Nothing is safe from them." Alice spat before she could stop herself. And what was worse was that the blonde couldn't even find it in herself to feel bad for her behaviour. Alice forced herself to stare out the window at a fire hydrant across the street. She could feel the traits of Project Alice rearing up within her and it was all she could do to keep herself from slipping back into assassin mode.

"Alice?" Claire called tentatively and she turned around to see the redhead looking at her, concern clearly etched across her face. Alice wanted to reassure her, but didn't know how. Claire, recognizing her struggle grabbed the blonde's hand, and muttering a quick 'we'll be right back,' pulled her from the room.

The apartment was small and it wasn't difficult to find the bathroom. Claire promptly locked the door behind them but didn't speak now that they were alone. The redhead looked at Alice carefully, her eyes searching, not for answers but understanding.

"Sorry," the blonde finally spoke.

"For what?"

"I know I've been out of the social scene for awhile, but even I know how rude I was just now with Matt and Kaplan."

"I don't care about them, I care about you. Are you alright?"

Alice shrugged. "I don't know. I was feeling like my old self, but I think pieces of Project Alice are still floating around inside." In fact, even now as they stood at the opposite end of the apartment, with several walls between them, Alice realized she could easily hear the conversation the two men were having in the other room.

She brought her attention back to the other woman as Claire continued to watch her. "What are you thinking?" The redhead prompted gently.

"I still have all her abilities and skills. You saw what I did to Kaplan at the door. It was so easy and I did it without thinking. I may not be under Umbrella's control but that doesn't mean I still won't hurt people." Alice confessed her fear. "What if I snap? There's nothing to prevent me from killing all three of you in your sleep tonight."

"Hey," Claire took Alice's face in her hands. "I trust you Alice. I know how strong you are. You can keep it at bay. I know you won't hurt us. I know you would never let anything hurt me."

Alice took a deep breath and was able to manage a half smile. Claire was right on the last count. If today had proved anything it was that Alice would rather die than allow anything or anyone to harm the redhead. She stared into deep blue eyes. The same elusive blue that she realized now had haunted her dreams the last five years. "I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe." She said with conviction.

Claire pulled her into a soft kiss, a gentle reminder that she was there and they were together. For a moment Alice thought maybe, just maybe things would be okay.

"We're in this together." Claire promised. "If you feel like that part of you is trying to take control, I want you to tell me. I won't let what they did to you take you away from me again. Maybe Kaplan can help us. He seems to know a lot about your program."

"We already owe them for letting us stay here. I don't want to feel indebted more than I have to."

"We're all on the same side here Alice. And this is what they do right? Help fugitives of Umbrella? They might be the only ones who can help us."

It was hard to ignore the pleading in Claire's eyes so Alice silently agreed with a firm nod.

The tiny bathroom was beginning to feel claustrophobic to the blonde, despite spending much of the last five years locked in a six by six white cell. And while during that time she had never once felt compelled to break free from that prison, Alice could now literally feel herself itching to escape the small space.

Alice led them out of the bathroom and just as she had heard them discussing with her superior hearing, the two men were still debating over what to get for dinner.

"Sorry," Alice apologized gruffly. "I was rude earlier and I apologize. I'm having a little trouble adjusting."

"That's alright," Kaplan replied, though Matt still eyed her warily. "I was more than a little wary when Matt brought you here but if a little rudeness is all we have to worry about we are in good shape."

The blonde shifted uncomfortably. "Well to be honest I'm not sure if that is all we have to worry about." Alice then went on to explain how traits of her former self were trying to bleed through.

Kaplan frown deeply in concentration. "It makes perfect sense if you think about it." He stated. "Technically you're still Project Alice, the only difference is that you've deviated from your program objective."

"So she is still dangerous?" Matt prompted.

"Maybe," the dark haired man answered. "Actually, Alice is still lethal it would seem. But as long as she is resisting the control of Umbrella, the more violent tendencies should remain dormant."

Matt scowled. "_Should_ is not something we should risk our lives and our work over."

"I don't think I need to remind you that it was you're idea to come find us and bring us here." Alice challenged with a hard glare, immediately causing Matt to become silent.

"They aren't going anywhere Matt. I think it will be safer for everyone if she stays with us." He turned to the blonde. "At least until you have a better idea of how much you can contain Project Alice."

"And what if I lose it?" Alice asked.

"You won't." Claire reassured with unfounded certainty. "I won't let that happen."


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own Resident Evil or its characters.**

**A/N: **Ignore what I said in a previous update about how this would be five chapters long. This is not the last chapter and I no longer know how many chapters it will turn out to be. All I know is that my creative juices for this story have been flowing like crazy!

**A/N2: **A warning for this chapter: I don't know a damn thing about computers or viruses or anything technological. So the stuff that happens in the chapter is me just making shit up. We will call it creative licence.

**A/N3: **As always, thanks for reading! Leave a review if you'd like, I greatly enjoy reading them. I've been thinking about adding a flashback of when Alice and Claire first met. Let me know if you'd be interested in reading that or if you think the story should stick to the present.

* * *

><p>Alice was about ready to lose it. Not violently, like she previously feared but out of pure frustration. Her and Claire had been staying with Matt and Kaplan for three days and neither of them had been able to leave the apartment. As Project Alice the blonde had been forced to stand the tiny white rooms and windowless spaces of Umbrella's facilities but now the cabin fever was driving her crazy.<p>

She hadn't spoken to anyone but Claire for the last two days and she spent most of the time getting used to having her mind under her own control again. Memories kept from her for five years she could now explore at leisure. Looking at Claire she could remember how they met, their first kiss, and when she knew she had fallen in love with the redhead. Umbrella tried to stamp out those memories, but even as Project Alice, Claire had haunted her dreams, though Alice hadn't been able to make the connection until her mind was freed. Her fascination with red and the elusive blue that appeared sporadically in her dreams was her subconscious trying to remind her of the woman she loved.

It was raining outside. Not an uncommon occurrence given their location in Seattle, but Alice was still itching to get outside and feel the droplets on her skin and feel the pavement beneath her feet. She wanted out, even if only for a few minutes but she knew Claire would never let her go alone. So for the umpteenth time since they'd arrived, she resisted the urge and stayed inside.

The redhead didn't like being separated from Alice for long and the blonde knew it was out of fear that she would disappear again. The couple spent most of the time in constant contact, either huddled together in bed or, like they were at present, with Claire sprawled across the length of the couch they'd cleared in the livingroom with her head in Alice's lap while the two men continued their work in the background.

As Alice listened to the rain pour outside, beating against the window, she ran her fingers through Claire's long red tresses. It was comforting and she found more peace in this simple action than she did at night in her sleep. Alice looked down at Claire, rememorising every feature of her beautiful face for what must have been the millionth time. Claire offered her a half smile in return before mouthing 'I love you' and squeezing Alice's other hand which the redhead had clutched between her own on her stomach. Alice recognized that to Matt and Kaplan they must appear to be overly clingy but it didn't feel that way to her. After five years apart, neither was willing to let the other out of their sight for long.

And it was because of Claire that Alice made no attempt the leave the apartment. As far as any of them knew Umbrella was looking for the pair and it wasn't safe for them to venture outdoors. Alice knew that with her Umbrella enhanced skills and training she could probably take on anything short of an army but no amount of cabin fever was worth risking Claire's safety. Not now that they were finally back together.

The only way they would be able to leave, or go anywhere without the persistent threat of capture would be by some magical downfall of the Umbrella Corporation. And knowing perfectly well the kind of power and resources available to Umbrella, Alice knew the chances of that happening were too astronomical to even fathom. But she and Claire couldn't stay locked up in this apartment forever. Their only option was to leave the country. They hadn't talked about it yet, but Alice would be content going anywhere as long as the redhead was with her.

However Alice it would seem was not the only one who was thinking it was about time for action.

"So what are you two planning to do?" Matt asked from the far side of the room where he was absently going through some papers.

Alice remained quiet, interested to know what Claire was thinking.

Claire reluctantly sat up on the couch but kept her contact with Alice by pulling the blonde's hand into her lap, absently playing with the digits as she spoke. "Well, I've been thinking about it and I know that if we can get out of the country that would be the safest bet. But then I wonder if we would really be safe, or if we were for how long would it last? Umbrella's power and influence all over the world is constantly growing. For almost ten years I've been living off the grid and watched as Umbrella has taken everything from me." The redhead shifted to face the love of her life. "But I'm kind of tired of running. I think it might be time to fight back."

Alice was at a loss for words. Not three days ago she had been all ready to storm back to Umbrella's base and take out Wesker and Claire had been the one to stop her. But now it was like things were reversed. Claire was out for revenge and Alice was the one who just wanted hide away from the world.

But she was saved from speaking as Matt nodded his agreement to the redhead's words. "We've been thinking along the same lines."

"Matt-" Kaplan cut in. "Nothing's changed, the plan won't work."

"What plan?" Claire's head darted back to the two men.

"It's more of a suicide mission than an actual plan." Kaplan answered. "What Matt and I do here, helping rebels and fugitives evade Umbrella capture is nice and dandy, but the problem is that there are people who need our help. A whole _list_ of people!" He put the list on the screen in front of him for emphasis. "As long as this list and every file of rebels exists no one is safe. The Umbrella Corporation at any moment in time could select a person from anywhere in the country and instantly have all their information, be able to track them, or make them disappear. As long as they have that kind of power," Kaplan slapped the top of his monitor "as long as they have this kind of information database it will continue to be the most powerful entity on the planet."

"So we want to destroy the system." Matt took over, seeing how worked up Kaplan was getting. "Kaplan's created a virus that we think could shut down Umbrella's main information database."

"How would that work though?" Inquired the redhead. "Umbrella has facilities all over the world."

"That's true but remember I worked on setting up their system" said Kaplan. "The information from every facility is connected and runs through the Corporations headquarters in Raccoon City. If we could launch the virus there, we could shut down the whole thing. I've been working on this program for years, since my last one failed," he added bitterly. "In theory it could delete all of Umbrella's files and information. All their top secret research would be erased, and their satellites would be useless. And they would have no way to recover it. Everyone on this list; you, me, Matt, Alice could go anywhere and not even Albert Wesker himself would have a way to track us."

"So why haven't you guys tried it if you have this miracle virus?" Alice spoke up, finally engaging in the conversation.

The computer hacker rolled his eyes. "It's not as simple as breaking into Best Buy and trashing some computers. The virus can't be sent remotely. We would have to physically go to the Umbrella facility in Raccoon City and program it into the motherboard."

"Sorry, I don't speak geek." Alice said dryly, her body was buzzing with the need for action. Project Alice was growing restless.

"The point is we can't get into that facility!" Kaplan exclaimed. "It's not possible. It's the most heavily guarded place on earth and even if someone could get pass the countless guards, they'd still have the Red Queen to deal with."

Claire frowned in confusion. "The Red Queen?"

"The security system of the facility." Kaplan explained. "The most advanced artificial intelligence program on the planet. She can analyse and problem solve and damn near anticipate her opponent's every move. Even I can't access the defensive systems she has at her disposal, there would be no way to know what we would be up against."

"I have an idea." Alice said quietly and then she was getting up from the couch, disentangling herself from the redhead and abruptly left the room.

"Where are you going?" Matt called but Alice didn't stop to answer.

The blonde retreated to the bedroom she and Claire had been using the last few days. Sitting on the edge of the bed facing the window Alice contemplated, not for the first time, smashing the glass and climbing down to the street and just running. Running until she couldn't run any more. But she stayed in place, waiting for the inevitable arrival of Claire. And it wasn't more than five minutes before she heard the door behind her opening and the sound of someone slipping into the room with the door closing behind them.

"Alice?" The redhead's voice floated gently across the room and somehow, Alice already felt a little more at ease. "Is this okay? You sounded like you wanted some space but..." Claire trailed off but Alice understood. Claire couldn't even force herself to keep themselves separated without feeling like being ripped in half.

"It's okay Claire, I want you to stay." Alice heard a sigh of relief before the bed dipped as Claire sat behind her, wrapping her arms around the blonde and holding her close.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Claire hadn't forced her to discuss anything that had happened over the last five years and for that Alice was grateful. But she knew that just because her old memories were back didn't mean that the ones of Project Alice would fade. Claire deserved to know the things she had been through, the things Project Alice had done, the things _she _had done before they would be able to move forward. Or if they even could move forward. Mention of the Red Queen had resurfaced in Alice's mind things she had done under control of Umbrella.

"I'm pretty familiar with the Red Queen. I've witnessed from both sides the things she is capable of doing." The blonde let out a long sigh. "When I was trained to be an assassin, Umbrella ran me through obstacle courses designed by the Red Queen. There was one that was like an exact replica of the Hive. I'm the only person who has made it through the simulation alive. Dr. Isaacs showed me video of hundreds of other trainees who died trying. The Red Queen is ruthless."

Claire could tell that there was more to the story and urged her to continue.

"Once I passed all my training, the real tests began. Umbrella keeps dozens of prisoners hidden inside that facility and I was instructed to torture and interrogate some of them. Do you remember Luther?"

"Luther West?"

Alice nodded, eyes clenched shut at the memories of their former ally. "He was a prisoner in the facility. As a test, the Red Queen let him out of his cell and I was instructed to find him and prevent him from escaping the facility at any cost."

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Claire assured, not liking to see the blonde suffer with her inner turmoil.

But Alice shook her head, she needed to say it. Needed to confess the terrible things she had done for Umbrella. "I killed him," she choked back a sob. "It was so easy. One punch right to his chest and his heart just stopped. And he wasn't the only one, I killed so many people Claire."

"You couldn't control yourself Alice. You didn't mean to kill any of those people, Umbrella made you."

"I am Project Alice!" The blonde ripped herself from Claire's arms as she stood up and spun around to face the redhead. "My hands killed Luther and _hundreds_ of others Claire. Hundreds! And the only time I was able to stop myself was..."

"With me." Claire whispered. "Maybe this is as much my fault as it is Umbrella's."

"Claire that's not what I'm–"

"No Alice, it's the truth. If I was the only one who could stop you then I should have done more to try and rescue you. Or maybe it's my fault for not being careful enough with who I trusted information with. One of our people sold us out and is the reason your cover was blown. We can't pretend that some of this isn't my fault. All this guilt that you feel, I feel it too. It nearly drove me insane to know where you were but not be able to reach you. I couldn't help you, and to hear the way you think about yourself makes me think that maybe I never will be able to help you." The redhead crawled backwards off the bed and headed towards the door only to stop as Alice called her back.

"Claire wait." The blonde quickly scrambled across the bed, not even willing to take the extra time to walk around, and stood behind the redhead who now refused to look at her. Alice's hand hovered half way between them, wanting nothing more than to reach the rest of the way and feel Claire's skin. To feel that comfort and safety that didn't require words to convey.

"I'm sorry Claire. It overwhelms me to think about the terrible things that Umbrella forced me to do and I don't know how to deal with that. But you have to know that you did save me. You may not have rescued me from my cell in Raccoon City but you freed me from the prison my mind was trapped in."

Claire turned around to face the blonde, tears freely falling from her eyes and it was at that moment that Alice realized she was crying too.

"You have the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen in my life." Alice whispered. This time she let herself reach forward and cupped the other woman's cheek as she stared into bright blue orbs shining with tears. "I use to dream about them as Project Alice. Everyday I was surrounded by Umbrella's white walls but at night I would crave for the dreams filled with fiery red and ocean blue, even though it would drive me absolutely crazy that I could not figure out why I was dreaming of them. But it was you. My mind they were able to keep at bay but my heart has always been wanting you."

Alice couldn't speak anymore as her tears became uncontrollable. Claire pulled the blonde into her arms and Alice collapsed into the embrace, forcing them back until Claire was trapped between herself and the door. The redhead didn't seem to mind though as one arm was wrapped tightly around her and the other hand grasped tightly to the back of her head as Alice cried into Claire's shoulder.

It was several long minutes before Alice was able to calm herself down enough to keep the tears at bay. She took deep breaths because it was both calming and it allowed her to drink in Claire's scent which was intoxicating in the best possible way. Alice lifted her head up from the redhead's shoulder and looked into those piercing blue eyes that had been the subject of so many dreams.

"All that time you were with Umbrella you dreamed about me?" Alice nodded and felt a burst of happiness as Claire beamed in response. "That means I was right on the rooftop. You said my Alice was gone, but I knew she was still in there and she was."

Alice smiled as well. "I guess you were right, you almost always are."

The redhead turned serious again. "Almost always." She repeated. "We don't have to help Kaplan and Matt with their plan if you don't want to. I won't force you to go anywhere near Raccoon City if you think it's a bad idea. When we were talking about taking down Umbrella I was only thinking about revenge. I know that I originally said we should run away but if there is a slight chance that we could take away even a little of Umbrella's power I think it's worth exploring. If Matt's virus works than we could be free. We could go anywhere and live our lives. We could be together without sneaking around."

"And if I said Kaplan is completely nuts and we should run away?"

"I would love you just as much and follow you out that door right now." Claire threw the ball in Alice's court, letting her make the final decision on what they would ultimately do.

The couple was still pressed against the door and Alice just stared at Claire for a long time. Her mind was splitting in two at the possibilities before them. On one hand there was nothing more important to her than keeping Claire safe and going into the belly of the beast was the complete opposite of staying safe. And she also knew as sure as she was standing there that a foray into Umbrella headquarters would inevitably mean a face off with Wesker and Alice didn't know if she was mentally or physically capable of taking on the challenge. But on the other hand, if their little band of rebels could pull this off than she and Claire would have a real, legitimate future together. They could go anywhere and start over and Umbrella would have no way to find them. Alice could also see in the redhead's eyes how much she was already invested in this idea. Claire had been a rebel for much longer than Alice had been and the blonde knew the other woman would never find any peace unless they had done all they could to take down the corrupt corporation.

"We'll go with Kaplan's virus and put an end to this once and for all."

Claire's wide grin reassured Alice she had made the right decision. "Thank you Alice. I know we'll be able to do this."

Alice hoped Claire was right, because this was going to be it. Their last chance to take on Umbrella and win. She didn't even want to think about what it would mean for them if this plan failed. But she kept those fears to herself and let Claire have this moment to believe that they had a chance.

* * *

><p>"We're in." Claire stated firmly as they re-entered the living room where the men were still working. "We'll help you break into the facility and plant the virus. We're willing to do whatever it takes to take down the Umbrella Corporation."<p>

"That's great and all but it's not that simple. If we are seriously considering this there are a million obstacles we'll need to sort out for this plan to even have a hope in hell of working."

"Let's work on the plan then." Alice said, retaking her seat on the couch. Her and Claire were in agreement to do whatever it takes to stop Umbrella but she knew better than anyone how dangerous this mission would be. So she was going to do her best to make sure the plan was as fool proof as possible. She was not going to risk her life, and more importantly Claire's life on some half ass scheme. "What are some of the major issues we need to sort out?"

"We're going to need help getting into the city and then we'll need a place to hide out until we're ready to attack." Matt said. "Raccoon City is the hotbed of Umbrella's control. We don't have many contacts there because its too dangerous."

"Kaplan, show me the list of Umbrella fugitives." Alice said, going over to stand behind his chair as the man brought the list on screen. She took his chair and quickly began scrolling down the list, Project Alice was equipped with a near photographic memory.

"None of those people are in Raccoon City," Matt commented as the blonde read. "No one is that stupid."

"I'm looking for someone not on the list."

"Who?"

Alice stood up and turned to face the others. She looked at Claire as she spoke. "We need Valentine."

"No fucking way." Claire immediately objected.

"She's not on the list," Alice argued. "The corporation has no idea she plays both sides."

"We don't know if she still does. I don't trust her Alice."

"Who is Valentine?" Kaplan asked hesitantly.

"Jill Valentine. She works for the Raccoon City Police Department." Alice answered.

"And she's Alice's ex-girlfriend." Claire interjected.

"She can help us." Alice insisted.

"No she won't." Claire refuted. "She refused to help me."

The blonde's brow furrowed in confusion. She knew Jill was not one of Claire's favourite people and couldn't imagine why the redhead would have gone to her for help.

"When I found out they were keeping you in Raccoon City the only thing I could think about was breaking you out. I went to Jill for help and she wouldn't. She didn't want to risk blowing her cover for a suicide mission."

"Breaking into an Umbrella facility _is_ a suicide mission." Kaplan said but the two women ignored him.

"Well she owes me so I won't really be giving her a choice." Alice stated firmly, putting an end to the matter.

"None of it will matter though if we can't get into the facility itself." Kaplan mentioned, changing the subject.

"I thought we were going to force our way in, guns blazing as it were," said Matt.

Claire shook her head at his foolishness. "I think we need to be a little bit smarter than that, find a way to sneak inside."

"We can't sneak passed the Red Queen." Kaplan asserted. "She'll be on to us the moment we enter the facility."

"How about a distraction?" Suggested Alice.

The computer hacker was quick to affirm. "That's what I was thinking. I had a couple of ideas about that but I doubt either of them would work." The others waited for him to continue so Kaplan took a deep breath and then explained his plan. "The problem is that the Umbrella facility has two lines of defence. The Red Queen is our number one threat but as I'm sure Claire can tell us, the guards are not to be undervalued as a threat."

The redhead nodded with a scowl. "Even without Jill's help I went to the facility to try and break Alice out and managed to get shot at before I got within 30 feet of any entrance. I had to fall back when I actually got shot."

"You were shot trying to rescue me?" Alice was equal parts horrified, concerned and livid.

"Yeah, it was lucky that what little back up I did have managed to get me out of there in time." She gave the blonde's hand a reassuring squeeze. "I'm fine now, no permanent damage done."

"We'll need some kind of distraction to keep the guards off our back while we try to get to the Red Queen's motherboard to shut the system down."

"An explosion?" Matt suggested.

Kaplan thought it over before shaking his head. "No, we want something that will continuously draw the guards away from us, and keep them busy while we break into the facility."

"That's it!" Matt replied excitedly. "I have an idea."

"Oh god," Alice groaned causing Claire to choke back a laugh as she elbowed her.

But Matt was undeterred. "We break into the facility."

"Yes Matt, that's what we're trying to do." Kaplan said slowly, looking at his friend like he was crazy.

Matthew Addison jumped out of his chair and began pacing as he explained his plan to them. "We need two teams. One will act as a distraction and will attempt a massive full frontal assault on Umbrella outside while a smaller team attempts to plant the virus inside."

"That could work." The computer hacker conceded. "Except we would need a whole bunch of people who want to take down Umbrella and are not afraid of dying."

"Well between the four of us I'm pretty sure we know every rebel in the country." Claire said. "And with so many people on the run from Umbrella I bet it wouldn't be too hard to find enough volunteers who want a hand in taking Umbrella down."

"What about the team that is planting the virus? The guards may be distracted outside but the Red Queen is smarter than that." Alice inquired. "We can't exactly distract her."

Kaplan looked sort of torn. "Well, we could but at the same time we can't." He grimaced.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I could distract her from here. Her top priority as Umbrella's security system is to stop and trace anyone trying to hack into the system. I could hack into the system and send a stream of smaller viruses and bounce the signal of different satellites. It wouldn't stop her, but it would keep the Red Queen busy while we try to shut her down. The problem is that I can't be in two places at once. I can't hack the system from here and plant the virus there at the same time."

"Could someone else hack the system?" Alice asked.

Kaplan rolled his eyes dramatically. "Yeah, cause just anyone could do the things I can do."

"You're not the only computer hacker in the world." Claire countered.

"True, but Umbrella has spent the last couple years rounding up all the good ones. It was so easy for them to trace Lisa and Matt when they hacked the system, and they barely cracked the surface. We would need someone at least half as good as me to keep the Red Queen busy."

Matt frowned in concentration. "Is there anyone you know of who could help?"

"There is someone I've been trying to find for a while now."

"Oh yeah?" Claire intrigued. "Who?"

"That's the thing, I don't know." Kaplan's frustration was evident. "About two years ago, before I teamed up with Matt, there was a hack into the system. Whoever it was found a way into the corporation's classified files, I'm not sure what they were looking for but they got in and out so quickly that I couldn't trace it, and neither could Umbrella." The dark haired man was clearly impressed by this mystery hacker. "There have been a few more breaks into the system since and I'm convinced it's the same guy but I haven't been able to pick up any trail. This guy is really good at covering his tracks."

"What makes you so sure it's a guy?" Claire scoffed. "It could be some old lady for all you know."

Kaplan ignored her interruption. "This is who we need if we are to have a hope in hell for this to work."

"You don't know anything about them?" Alice asked. "A general location? A screen name? Anything?"

"If we knew any of that information, Umbrella would already have him locked up somewhere. For all I know, they already do. The last break in was almost three months ago."

"But you think he's still out there?" Matt chimed in.

"Yes, because I'm pretty sure he's on the list." He turned back to his computer. "Umbrella doesn't have a name, but right here underneath Alice, myself and Claire is 'K.'"

"K?" Claire all but lunged to the table and leaned over Kaplan's shoulder to see for herself. "That's all they have? A letter? Are you sure that's all they have on this hacker?" Her questions came out in rapid succession and her face was a clear mask of concern.

"Yeah, K is all they have as far as I know. And trust me, I've been looking."

"Well stop it!" The redhead snapped as she spun Kaplan's chair around so he was facing her. "Listen to me very carefully. You are not to go looking for this K person, ever again. Do I make myself clear?"

Kaplan's eyes widened with realization. "You know this person don't you?" Claire didn't answer, but walked back over to where Alice was standing and the blonde wrapped an arm around her upset lover. "Claire," the man tried to reason. "If you know this... K than you have to get him to help us."

"No, I'd rather take on the Red Queen by myself than drag K into this." A little quieter she added, "not when I finally got her hidden somewhere safe."

"Her?"

"Yeah," Claire sighed. "Her. And _she_ is not getting involved with this. I've put her in danger before and I won't risk it again, even if it just involves her sitting here at the computer. If we fail, I don't want her real name and picture being added to the list like the rest of us. Right now she has the chance at a normal life and I won't ruin that for her."

"Claire, the only reason we're even talking about this plan is because you wanted to do it, take down Umbrella. We need all the best people on our side helping." Matt urged. "We're doing this so we can all have a chance at normal lives, remember?"

But Claire was adamant. "It wouldn't be right to drag her into this."

"Maybe you should let her decide for herself," challenged Kaplan.

Alice could feel the redhead shaking with anger so she held Claire a little tighter, both to calm her down and to keep her from lunging at the dark haired man. It was pretty obvious to her that the redhead cared a lot about this K person and although that thought made her insides twist with jealousy, she hated seeing Claire so upset even more.

"Just forget it Kaplan." Alice seethed. "We don't need this for the plan to work. Even if you yourself was hacking the system isn't a guarantee that it would keep the Red Queen busy long enough for us to not die within the first five minutes."

"Maybe not. But if you two are asking me to risk my life to plant my virus in the most dangerous place on earth than I want as many bases covered as possible."

A silence fell over the group as they came to an impasse, Kaplan and Claire stared at each other challengingly. Each silently daring the other to back down, but they were both too stubborn. The tension was only broken as a beeping radiated from one of the computers, drawing Kaplan's attention away.

"Speak of the devil."

"What's going on?" Alice asked, more than a little curious about the cause of the noise.

"There's a security breach to the system." Kaplan explained. "Someone is hacking into the system right now. And I'd bet every hard drive in here that it's your friend K."

"How will you be able to tell?" Claire asked nervously.

"I'll try to trace the signal and if I can't keep tabs on it, than it's probably her."

Claire pulled herself away from Alice in favour of pacing the floor as Kaplan tried to locate the hacker. The redhead was quietly muttering to herself, but it was nothing Alice's superior hearing couldn't easily pick up. Though the nonsensical mumbles of 'I can't believe this' and 'she never listens to me' didn't mean too much to the blonde.

After nearly five minutes Kaplan leaned away from the screen as he stopped typing and sat back in his chair. "It must have been her, because I've got nothing and neither does Umbrella."

Claire stopped pacing but didn't look too relieved. "Do you know what she was looking at?"

"Prisoner files, no one specific though. Not as far as I can tell. Do you know what she was looking for?"

Claire half smiled. "She's looking for me, checking to see if I've been caught."

"She cares about you a lot." Alice stated without emotion. "How do you know her?"

The redhead raised an eyebrow as she looked at Alice knowingly. "We met three years ago I think? She had been living on the streets for a few months in Vegas, scamming bank machines. I needed someone who could crack passwords and Otto recommended her to me. We worked together until about a month ago when I put her into hiding." Claire looked at Alice meaningfully. "K helped me break into that facility and steal your file and she's the one who dragged my ass to safety when I got shot in Raccoon City. But after that I realized it was too dangerous for her to travel with me because I wasn't going to stop until I had you back. So I stashed her away with a friend of mine."

The blonde felt a gnawing of shame in her gut at hearing Claire's story. She had been jealous of someone she'd never met and it turns out this person had helped Claire track down leads to finding her.

The rebel laughed bitterly. "I told her not to hack anymore but of course she didn't listen."

"She's really good." Kaplan stated honestly. "To get in and out of the system without getting caught, I'm sure she could teach me a few things. But think about it like this Claire," he paused for dramatic effect. "Say that we all die on this mission, your friend is next on the list. With the three of us out of the way Umbrella will be more focussed on finding her. And they will kill her just as quick as they'd kill any of us."

Claire seemed to be stuck. Her mouth was half open to respond but the words wouldn't come out. Her blues eyes were blank and Alice could tell that nothing but terrible thoughts were running through the redhead's mind. Kaplan had taken her concern for K's safety and pushed it to the edge and now Claire felt as though she was trapped between two horrifying options.

"Our plan may be completely crazy, suicidal, hopeless, whatever you want to call it." Matt said. "But it's also the best idea we got if we ever want this to be over."

Blue eyes snapped into focus and Claire shook her head in defeat. She didn't like it, but there was truth in the man's words. "Let me use your phone." Kaplan practically tripped over himself in his eagerness to give her access to the secure line. Claire quickly dialled a number from memory and waited with the phone pressed against her ear. It didn't take long before someone picked up. "K," she greeted, the sad smile on her face betrayed the happiness in her tone. "It's me." A pause. "I've missed you too. How have things been going with Chase?"

As Claire listened into the receiver, Alice could also hear the conversation on the other end. Project Alice's hearing easily picked up the words coming out of the phone that she knew the two men in the room wouldn't be able to catch. The former assassin was surprised at the voice she could hear, it sounded younger than she would have expected but she dismissed it as her girlfriend began speaking again.

"Listen K, I know that I put you up there for safety but," she sighed regretfully. "I need your help. Travel by bus to Seattle as soon as you can and I'll fill you in when you arrive. Also, leave your computer there. You won't need it." The redhead eyed the room where they stood, filled with different electronics. "I know you haven't been doing what I told you," she scolded. "And this way I know you won't be tempted." There was another longer pause. "Ok, see you soon K." The redhead hung up the phone and addressed her three companions. "She'll be here in three days."

"Great," Kaplan grinned triumphantly.

"I know that was hard for you Claire," Matt said with a little more tact than his friend. "Thank you."

The redhead shrugged. "What do we do next?"

"Well we're going to need a lot of help if this thing is going to work." Matt grimaced as he took the phone from her. "So now we contact everyone we know and see how many people are as crazy as we are."


End file.
